Prayer for Rain

Delivered by His Eminence

ash-Shaykh Bandar ibn „Abdil-„Azeez Baleelah
3 Rabee„ al-Awwal 1441h (31 October 2019)

All praise is due to Allaah. He created all things according to the specific measure He decreed
for them. He is the One who created humans from water, and made them related to each other by way
of lineage and marriage. Our Lord is indeed capable of all things. I praise Allaah, as He is perfect in
every way, He deserves the most abundant of praise. I bear witness that none has the right to be
worshipped except Allaah alone, without any partner. He sends the winds as heralds ahead of His mercy
and He sends down purifying water from the sky. I further bear witness that our Prophet Muhammad is
Allaah‟s worshipping servant and Messenger. His Lord sent him as a witness, bearer of glad tidings,
warner, caller to Allaah by His permission, and as a radiant lamp of guidance. May Allaah grant an
abundance of commendation and protection to His Messenger as well as the Messenger‟s family and
Companions.
Our Lord, you alone deserve all praise and glorification. This is the most fitting thing any servant
of Yours can say, and all of us are Your servants. Our Lord, we praise You for Your blessings, and
praising You is a means we hope will allow us to have more of them. We also seek refuge with You
from becoming accustomed to Your blessings in a way that makes us negligent in fulfilling the rights we
have towards You. O Allaah, You deserve praise throughout ease and difficulty, and You deserve praise
throughout prosperity and adversity. It is You alone who deserves to be praised in all languages, and
You alone who deserves to be worshipped at all times.
Dear Muslims, have you not observed the remarkable way in which water is made, the incredible
properties it has, the striking effects it brings about, the gentleness with which it comes, and the fact that
Allaah made it the substance from which life comes? Allaah, who is perfect in every way said, ((We have
made every living thing from water, so will people not then accept the truth from Us?))1 Allaah, the
Almighty and Most Majestic, also made water a cornerstone of our existence and brings forth with it the
fruits of all things. ((Allaah is the One who sends down rain from the clouds. With that water, We –
Allaah – cause all types of vegetation to sprout. From that vegetation, We cause green plants and trees
to grow. From those, We bring out clusters of grains. In addition, from the spathes of date-palms come
bunches of dates that hang low, within reach. We also bring out vineyards of grapes, trees that produce
olives, and trees that produce pomegranates. The leaves of one may resemble the leaves of the other, yet
each produces its own fruit that differs from the other in shape, taste, and variety. Observe their fruits
when they begin to grow and when they fully ripen. All of those things certainly contain indisputable
evidences of Allaah‟s infinite ability, wisdom, and mercy which are clear to people who have eemaan.)) 2
With water, Allaah granted certain people blessings and brought ruin to others. In reference to
the time of the Prophet Nooh, Allaah said, ((Eventually the command was proclaimed saying, “Earth,
swallow up your water. Sky, withhold your rain.” The water then receded, Allaah‟s decree was fulfilled,
the ship settled on the mountain called al-Joodee, and a call was proclaimed saying, “The people who
committed the injustice of rejecting Allaah and transgressing His limits have been destroyed and
expelled.))3

1 Soorah al-Anbiyaa‟ (21):30.

2 Soorah al-An„aam (6):99.
3 Soorah Hood (11):44.

Transcript based on live English translation from al-Masjid al-Haraam (the Grand Mosque in Makkah) 1
 Water also has a profound impact upon the happiness people feel in their souls. The sound of it
flowing brings peace of mind, and the sight of it gushing captivates the mind. Consider the delights of
Jannah that we have been informed of: it contains trees beneath which rivers flow, and this is by way of
increasing and completing the blessings and wholesome life granted to those who are admitted to
Jannah. That is the water of Jannah. However, in contrast, there is also water of the hellfire which
reaches the utmost extremity of heat and will scald the faces and rip apart the insides of the people
condemned to the hellfire. Allaah said, ((The description of Jannah which the people of taqwaa have
been promised is that it contains rivers of water whose taste and odour remain pristine and unchanged,
rivers of milk whose flavour would not become altered, rivers of non-intoxicating wine which would be
savoured by those who drink from it, and rivers of honey that is purified. In Jannah, those people of
taqwaa will be provided with every variety of fruit, and will be granted forgiveness from their Lord.
Could such people ever be considered similar to those who will permanently dwell in the hellfire and be
given boiling liquid to drink that will rip apart their insides?)) 4
In addition, water is one of the greatest blessings Allaah granted His servants, and by which His
authority and His quality of being the supreme sustainer become manifest. He provides water in this
world for whomever He wills, and withholds it from whomever He wills. He said, ((We sent down from
the sky water in due measure and We gave it lodging in the Earth. And We are indeed able to take it
away.))5 If Allaah makes water go away, none can bring it back besides Him. He said, ((Say: If your water
sinks down into the earth and you are unable to reach it, who is there that could possibly bring you fresh
water flowing upon the Earth‟s surface?))6
Allaah is the One who provides for His servants and, without Him, His servants would remain
without what they need for subsistence. Allaah is the One who sends His blessings down to His
servants, and He is the One whose mercy encompasses all living creatures. After experiencing
conditions of drought, Allaah is the One who grants them water. ((He is the One who sends down the
rain, granting relief to the people after they lost hope, and He spreads His mercy. He is the Guardian
Lord, the Most Praiseworthy.))7 ((He is the One who sends the winds as heralds of glad tidings, going
ahead of His mercy. Allaah said: We send down pure water from the sky and, by it, We give life to a land
which has died, and We provide it as drink for many of the cattle and people that We created.)) 8

Our Lord, we have come to You to ask of You and seek Your forgiveness. We fear Your
punishment and hope for Your mercy. We take resort to Your mercy, hope for Your blessings, desire
your favour, and beseech You to grant us the blessings of the sky and the earth. O Allaah, we ask
for Your forgiveness, as You are the continually forgiving. We beseech You to send rains for us in
abundance.
All praise is due to Allaah, the Lord of all creation, the Most Merciful, the Bestower of mercy,
and the sole owner and sovereign of the Day of Recompense. None has the right to be worshipped
except Allaah, and He does whatever He wills. O Allaah, none is worthy of worship except You. You
need none, but we are in dire need of You. You need none, but we are in dire need of You. O Allaah,
You need none, but we are in dire need of You. We beseech You to send the rains for us and not make
us among those who lose hope. We beseech You to send the rains for us and not make us among those
who lose hope. O Allaah, We beseech You to send the rains for us and not make us among those who

4 Soorah Muhammad (47):15.

5 Soorah al-Mu‟minoon (23):18.
6 Soorah al-Mulk (67):30.
7 Soorah ash-Shooraa (42):28.
8 Soorah al-Furqaan (25):48-49.

Transcript based on live English translation from al-Masjid al-Haraam (the Grand Mosque in Makkah) 2
 lose hope. O Allaah, grant us rainfall. O Allaah, grant us rainfall. O Allaah, grant us rainfall that is
abundant, encompassing, and beneficial, not harmful. Make it rainfall that revives the earth, provides
water for Your servants, and allows the lives of people to continue, whether in populated or rural areas.
O Allaah, make it a rainfall of mercy, not one that brings punishment, trials, destruction, or loss of life.
O Allaah, we implore You for rain that provides water for Your servants, Your lands, and Your
creatures. We beseech You to spread Your mercy and restore life to Your lands and creatures. O Allaah,
we beseech You to grant us goodness in our crops and livestock. O Allaah, we implore You for the
goodness that lies with You. O Allaah, we are among Your creatures and we implore You to not deprive
us of the good that lies with You because of the wrong that we do. O Allaah, send the rains for us and
do not make us among those who lose hope. O Allaah, we implore You for Your forgiveness, as You
are the continually forgiving. O Allaah, we beseech You to soften our hearts which have grown hard.
We beseech You to bestow upon us Your mercy and blessings. O Allaah, we have come before You to
ask of You, we humble ourselves before You, and we fear Your punishment. O Allaah, we beseech You
to not send us back empty-handed. O Allaah, if You do not grant us Your mercy and forgiveness, we
will indeed be among those who lose everything. Our Lord, do not take us to account for the wrong
that we have done or for our negligence. Our Lord, we beseech You to not cause us to bear anything
that we would be incapable of dealing with.

Part of the guidance which is authentically reported from our Prophet (may Allaah grant him
commendation and protection) is that he would turn over his upper garment after praying for rain, so
you should follow his guidance and teachings in that regard. He did that out of his hope that Allaah
would turn circumstances around, from difficulty to prosperity and ease.
Our Lord is perfect in every way, He grants protection to all of His Messengers, and the last of our
prayers is that all praise is due to Allaah, the Lord of all creation.

Transcript based on live English translation from al-Masjid al-Haraam (the Grand Mosque in Makkah) 3